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The Goon Thread

I feel like this won't be a popular opinion on here, or at least won't go with the general flow but one thing that stood out from the final was Iwobi's appearance, IMO he scored an absolute belter and should have had two assists...............................and even with those two assists they would have still lost. Happy to be enlightened but I don't recall many better performances from a player coming on to a final that had seemingly been killed off, to play so well but in terms of the result have no impact whatsoever...
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48662806

Freddie Ljungberg is appointed as Arsenal assistant coach

Former Arsenal forward Freddie Ljungberg has been named first-team assistant coach to Gunners manager Unai Emery.

The Swede is replacing Steve Bould, whose new role includes taking charge of the under-23 team.

Ljungberg, who played 214 games and scored 46 times for Arsenal, says he is "really excited" to work with Emery.

The former Sweden international was part of Arsenal's 'Invincibles' side under Arsene Wenger.

Since starting his coaching career, 42-year-old Ljungberg has also been in charge of the club's under-16s squad.

Bould, meanwhile, is to take up a new role back in the academy, which he ran for 11 years before becoming Wenger's assistant manager in 2012, staying on to work alongside Emery last season.

The former Arsenal defender, 56, will also help oversee the under-23s and under-18 'phase programme' with current Arsenal Academy manager Per Mertesacker.

Arsenal said the changes, which come into effect from 1 July, will help "create a 'transition team' which will collectively manage a player's development through some of the hardest and most challenging periods of their professional lives".
 
Fair point!

Very mixed press with them at the moment.

Saw the other day they couldnt afford the defender at Sampdoria (Andersen? £30m), and now today apparently Emery is pushing them to go all out to get Zaha (would cost twice that!).
 
Lucas Torreira 'makes transfer demand' to Arsenal board amid AC Milan interest
Lucas Torreira has made clear his desire to quit Arsenal this summer and is desperate to join AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.

The midfielder impressed in his first season at the Emirates but claimed he preferred life in Italy in a recent interview, comments that have seemingly left Arsenal in a tricky situation.

He joined the Gunners from Sampdoria for £26.5million last summer and former manager Marco Giampaolo has just left to become AC Milan boss.

The Italian club are believed to have made a two-year loan move for the Uruguay international which is worth up to €8million (£7m) and includes a €38m (£34m) purchase option.
 
Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha is keen to leave the club this summer and favours a move to Arsenal, who would like to recruit him.

Palace value the Ivory Coast international at up to £80m.

However, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka set to join Manchester United, Palace are reluctant to lose Zaha this summer.

United, who sold Zaha back to Palace four years ago, would get 25% of any fee if the player is transferred, unless that clause is renegotiated.

It is understood Arsenal were optimistic they would have the necessary resources to bring in the 26-year-old if they had qualified for next season's Champions League.

Failure to do so has restricted their budget to around £45m, meaning they would need to raise substantial funds through player sales to even tempt Palace into doing business for Zaha.

The most realistic way of generating the required finance would be by cashing in on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, though the potential implications of parting with last season's top scorer would present a major dilemma for the Gunners.

Another of their key assets is Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira, who arrived at Emirates Stadium from Sampdoria last summer and has been linked with a return to Italy.

But while Arsenal accept every player has a price, they have no intention of letting the 23-year-old go and do not believe he is unhappy, contrary to some reports.

Torreira has been most heavily linked with AC Milan and although they do admire him, he is not a focus of their attention - the Rossoneri know the asking price would be prohibitive and have other targets.

Meanwhile, Arsenal remain in talks with Celtic over the signing of left-back Kieran Tierney, 22, and St Etienne regarding their central defender William Saliba, 18.



Im so glad that Chelsea won the EUROPA league (well, in context of beating Arsenal!)

This could be terminal for Arsenal.
 
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/tottenhams-tanguy-ndombele-swoop-further-17262039

Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele swoop further proof Arsenal are now in their shadow
Spending more than Arsenal's whole summer budget on one man shows Tottenham are the north London club going places

After five years pulling rabbits out of the hat for Tottenham, the bunnies are now being produced for Mauricio Pochettino.

At £65million, the imminent capture of Lyon’s all-action midfielder Tanguy Ndombele makes all kinds of statements for the finest Premier League manager that Spurs have ever had.

It shatters their transfer record, previously set by the £42m arrival of defender Davinson Sanchez from Ajax two years ago.

It is proof that Daniel Levy shares Pochettino’s ambition to make Spurs a domestic and European superpower. That the chairman who’d gained a reputation for being ruthlessly intransigent has been melted by the magic of last season’s run to the Champions League Final and yet another top four finish.

It demonstrates Spurs are now up alongside the big boys when it comes to attracting the outstanding emerging talent on the continental stage.

Had Liverpool or Emirates Marketing Project nabbed Ndombele, we’d all be hailing the move as a frightening statement of intent. Spurs signing the 22-year-old instead has had Manchester United fans raging and arch-rivals Arsenal's supporters resigned to the fact that they are no longer the first-choice destination in north London for the big players.

Ndombele’s price-tag, remember, is £20m more than the Gunners’ entire transfer budget for this summer budget.

Pochettino has turned Spurs into the place to be. The idea that Levy remains a tight-fisted curmudgeon is now an old and tired narrative.

Spurs want to be back in more Champions League finals after their loss to Liverpool in this year's showpiece.

It is as much their tears at coming so close in Madrid at the start of this month inspiring their rebuild as the need for fresh faces and a new energy.

Highly-rated teen winger Jack Clarke should sign for £8.5milion from Championship play-offs side Leeds by the end of the week - casting a cloud over the future of Erik Lamela. Spurs are still keen on the £70m Real Betis attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, scorer of 16 goals and provider of six assists last season. Pochettino is also a fan of the Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos.

A new back-up striker to Harry Kane is being sought with Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez holding out - amid interest from old chums West Ham - to find out if it could be him. A replacement is being targeted for Kieran Trippier, with Napoli and Juventus fighting over the England right-back.

Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon is being eyed up as as long-term successor to Danny Rose on the left side. Centre-back Toby Alderweireld will also be replaced if, as expected, he leaves for just £25m in the final fortnight of this window due to that clause in his contract.

Others for whom Spurs would listen to the right offer include Victor Wanyama - with his fellow midfielder Mousa Dembele long since sold off to Chinese Super League club Guangzhou in January - while dead-weight attacking duo Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou will finally be offloaded.

It all signals the turning of a corner for not just Pochettino but a club that after spending so many years being made to feel second best is, at last, in the driving seat on the north side of the UK capital.
 
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